A global campaign to apply religion’s "golden rule" — treat others as you would like them to treat you — has been launched by Christians, Jews and Muslims.

Religion’s “golden rule”? More on that later.

The campaigners, claiming that compassion is at the heart of most religions, have launched an online Charter of Compassion and invited atheists and others to join them.

EVEN invited the atheists, how noble of them.

Karen Armstrong, …, says many people associate religion with violence, intolerance and dogma rather than compassion.

Surprising that.

Because compassion is not confined to religious people, the charter’s founders hope that atheists and agnostics will help work for a more compassionate world rather than berate religion. [emphasis mine]

… the Charter seeks to remind the world that while all faiths are not the same, they all share the core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule.

Problem being that deep down none of these faiths really have any compassion for the other faiths. Go read some literature on what Islam really thinks of other faiths and non-believers then come back and tell me if they really have compassion and can share this “dream” with other faiths. Don’t think the other religions are any better either.

The fact that all religions may agree on the Golden Rule does not make it a religious ethic, as Barney Zwartz maintains (18/11). It is actually a universal and secular ethical rule.

As John, the Wikipedia entry and my FAQ 1 state, the Golden Rule, or the Ethic of Reciprocity, has been around for a long time before modern Christianity. It has also been mentioned in many ancient eastern religions and philosophies. It has to be apparent to anyone that thinks about it that this “Golden Rule” is no divine religious imperative, but rather just a humanitarian imperative.

Hence any world-wide “Charter of Compassion” should be based on secular humanist foundations for all humankind, with no religious undertones or overtones.

Compassion, Honesty, Fairness and Tolerance – all part of any “Golden Rule”. All principles able to be conducted by anyone, without need of any influence from some sort of deity.

One has to wonder WHY religious faiths have to make a point of writing a “charter for compassion” in the first place. Isn’t religion ‘supposed’ to be compassionate? Is it perhaps that the recent critical review of religions, and horrific events carried out in the name of religion, have made sane, critical thinking, right minded, people question the role of religion in modern society?

What do you think of this Charter? Are you going to provide input to it? What are your thoughts on the “Golden Rule”, especially that it’s “religions ethic”?

Because compassion is not confined to religious people, the charter’s founders hope that atheists and agnostics will help work for a more compassionate world rather than berate religion.

Because atheists spend 100% of their time berating religion and 0% of their time being compassionate, and religious people spend 100% of their time being compassionate and 0% of their time berating atheists and other people who don’t subscribe to their worldview. Got it.

Just wondering around the blog world and want to say have a good thanksgiving, from my blog to yours. And posted a funny thanksgiving card to view for my fellow bloggers, so stop by at drunkdreamer8.com and enjoy

I agree with much you’ve said. The responses so far are very interesting. I do believe that a drastic increase in people exercising compassion and caring is sorely needed in the world. As an atheist, I can understand the sentiment that atheists spend much, most or all of their time berating religions. It’s unfortunate but there is a grain of truth in that statement. It’s difficult to explain what you believe when your beliefs are open-ended and not firmly fixed in code or dogma. So, I think that atheists tend to talk about what they don’t believe because it’s easier and because the typical assumption is that you do accept one or another of the common religions. I do believe that compassion is a wonderful thing and I truly hope that it isn’t the sole domain of those who consider themselves as religious.

As far as the Golden Rule, I have always believed that has evolved because we live in social groups. An agreement such as this, although certainly no gaurentee, makes it much more likely that we can live a more tranquil life.

The corollary of the notion that atheists spend much of their time berating religions is the idea that one is either compassionate or critical of religion—the idea that one cannot be both at the same time.